A Father's Lament Revised
by CelticJedi
Summary: Why do we hurt the ones we love? Lydecker has a child among the X5s. New and improved version.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **As always I can claim nothing. If I owned anything I probably wouldn't be here.

**Summary: **Lydecker has a daughter. Read and find out.

**Author's Note:** This story has been off the web for a while. I really enjoyed writing it so I'm revamping it now, adding more to the chapters and filling any plot holes or rifts. Adding meat to the bones so to say. I thought it deserved it.

**Prologue**

Still no change. It was too early to tell. Go home. You look like hell. The doctors had told the man many things, but still nothing would shift him from the bedside chair where he'd been holding a vigil for the past two days. The steaming cup of coffee a nurse dropped for him has gone cold on the side table next to the newspaper he's been neglecting to read. All he can focus on now, think about now, is the child on the bed barely visible beneath the tangle of wires and tubing sustaining the life that nearly slipped away.

A nurse opens the door and asks if he needed anything. A somber holiday ballad can be heard in the distance playing from the nurse's station. When no reply is given other than a cold stare the nurse nods, whispers a faint word of understanding and shuts the door, shutting out the music with it.

The man stands. It was always a good idea to keep the blood flowing and pacing might help his anxiety. So he starts back and forth across the room, letting his thoughts wander. How could he have been so blind? Everything had been in front of him from the beginning. All of this – all of the pain – could have been avoided if he'd only seen it sooner. But it was too late for that. It was done. No regrets.

A small sound from the bed draws his attention. The figure beneath the wires and tubes, the figure of a slim teenage girl has shifted slightly, but still not awakened. The breath catches in the man's throat and a smile hits his lips. It's the first sign of life he's seen other than the lines and beeps of the monitors. He leans in and brushes aside the hair that's fallen across her face. So peaceful now, but that wouldn't last. No regrets. His decision had been made and made again. She was his own flesh and blood. His own daughter and yet this was only the beginning of her journey home. She would hate him for it if she knew, but he had done and would continue to do what was required of him. The world was a dangerous place and he had done his best to prepare her for that. No regrets.

The door opens again. The same nurse pops her head in the room. "Colonel Lydecker? There's a call for you."

He nods an acknowledgment and thanks her. He walks out of the hospital room only once glancing back at the girl in the bed through the barred windows.


	2. Chapter 1

The rusty old bus pulled around a final ramp and was off the highway, sweeping down into the sleepy streets of a small town. The early morning sun was beginning to peek over and through the pine trees that surrounded the road on both sides. The snow on the ground was building as a light dusting fell through the air. The bus' interior was occupied sparsely. A young mother and child sat near the front sleeping, a middle-aged man stared out the window halfway back, at the back a teenage girl was reading a book in the impossibly dim light.

Ivy shut the book and glanced out the window. She was not entirely looking forward to the prospect of seeing her parents again. It had been a few months since she'd left on her tour with the orchestra expecting to return home to New York City. The metropolis had grown on her in the ten years she'd lived there despite the slums that had rapidly popped up since the Pulse. But being a "military brat" meant knowing that you could be moved anywhere on short notice. Sure enough a few days after she had left New York her Army officer parents were reassigned to a base out west.

From what she had gathered in their phone conversations the area around the town was untouched wilderness. The trees and snow she saw now. The sun was beginning to rise and flashed between the trees like a film strip as the bus sped past. She shut her eyes, the images rising up again from somewhere in her subconscious. The childhood she could barely remember and what she remembered were happy times. She remembered laughing, talking, staying up late. There were less pleasant images that started to rise, but when she tried to grasp them they faded back into her mind. She never mentioned them to anyone. Some memories were locked away from her and none of it made sense. It didn't match the childhood she was told she must have had before she'd been adopted.

The psychologists said the violence of the post-Pulse riots had given her post traumatic stress disorder. The Kinlans had known that when they adopted her and they didn't care one bit. They had given her a loving home and a loving family. For some reason though Ivy felt her heart sinking the closer she got to her new home. The bus pulled down a side road and a sign greeted them.

_Gillette City Limit_

_

* * *

_

Ivy stepped off the bus last, feeling the crisp autumn air brush at her face. She hefted the strap of the loaded duffel bag on her shoulder and surveyed the parking lot. A smile came to her face and she walked towards a familiar face. Standing by the open cargo door of the bus, arms crossed, a forty-something man in fatigues smiled back. They regarded each other for a moment before the man grabbed her in a fierce hug.

Ivy regained her breath and pushed the dislodged hair from her face. "I'm glad to see you too, Dad."

Jack Kinlan grinned. "You look more grown up."

"I might've hit a growth spurt or too," Ivy admitted. She hugged her father again.

They gathered up her luggage and packed it into the trunk of the family sedan. As they drove through the town Ivy nearly gave into her sleep deprivation. The ride from Chicago had been long. The drive took them completely through the town and into the woods some ways. As they approached their destination the barbed wire fences of the base greeted them as the sedan pulled up to the guard kiosk. Jack handed his pass to the guard who greeted them.

"Out later than usual, Jack," the guard observed as he checked the pass. He glanced through the window and smiled. "Who's the passenger?"

"This is my daughter Ivy," Jack said waving a hand towards the girl in the passenger seat. "Ivy, this is Mike. You'll see him around."

Ivy merely smiled and gave a nod.

"A quiet one isn't she?" Mike remarked. "Can you open the trunk?"

Jack sighed. "Thorough as always, huh, Mike?"

Jack got out of the car and unlocked the trunk. He popped it open and stood aside as the guard observed the contents.

Mike tapped at one of the cases. "What's this?"

Jack laughed. "It's a cello. Ivy's a musician. Need me to open it?"

"No. I'll take your word for it. Have a good night, Jack." Mike went back into the kiosk and opened the gate. He waved to them as Jack got back into the car.

"Things are a bit different out here," Jack explained about the base. "Not everyone works on the base here. There's an Air Force base outside the town that some of the folks work at. I don't know precisely what they do out there. Air craft testing I think. But of course I work here not far from home."

"The way you like it," Ivy said with a smile.

Jack beamed at her. "I really missed having you around."

"Well, it's my senior year," Ivy commented. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Jack's face became serious. "So have you thought about what you're going to do?"

Ivy's face fell as well. "I am _not _enlisting."

"_Okay_," Jack sighed. "I just want what's best for you."

"I can highly assure you that the military is not what's best for me," Ivy said. "It's fine for you and Mom, but I don't want to spend my life following orders."

Jack sighed again, but let it lie.

Ivy stared out the window. "Dad, why did you guys adopt me?"

"Because we love you," Jack said without thought.

Ivy scoffed. "You didn't when you first met me. As I recall you called me 'a problem child likely to end up in a detention center by the age of twelve'."

Jack smiled as he turned the car down a street. "You remember everything. Don't you?"

She met his gaze. "Sometimes I wish I could. There are things I'd like to remember."

The car stopped as they pulled into a driveway. Jack shut off the engine and turned to Ivy. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you're meant to remember them you will. You've been through a lot in life."

Ivy sighed. "You make life sound so simple."

"I try to," Jack replied. He waved a hand at the house in front of them. "Welcome home, Ivy."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The guests would be there any minute and the house was still not ready. This was an annual tradition for Mary Kinlan where ever she lived. Here it was a way of getting to know the neighbors. Ivy was not interested in the least bit. She sat on the stairs watching her mother hustle back and forth between the living room and the kitchen.

"Why are we doing this, Mom?" Ivy asked for the tenth time as she watched her mother bustling around the kitchen. "I thought you said this thanksgiving would just be family."

"And the _dinner_ was just us," Mary replied. She adjusted the curlers in her auburn hair, glancing at Ivy for a moment. "This is just like after dinner drinks. It's a way of meeting the neighbors. Maybe you'll make some friends."

"Sure," Ivy nodded. "The kids at school already think I'm a freak."

Mary's hands dropped from her hair. "Oh, no. What did you do now?"

"I solved the college-level equation the math teacher gave as extra credit in my head," Ivy said. "The teacher didn't even know the answer. He just put it up to try and confuse everyone."

"Ivy, you're a very gifted young woman," Mary said. "You're going to go places in life. Not everyone is going to understand you."

"I'm okay with that," Ivy said. "It's easier to survive that way."

Mary pressed her lips together. "Will you at least _try _and socialize a bit tonight? Go put something nice on."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Ivy asked, glancing down at her blue jeans and casual top.

"There might or might not be a few _young_ men coming,"

"Mother!" Ivy said in disbelief. "I do have a boyfriend."

"In New York," Mary said.

"He's in Iraq, Mom," Ivy said. "He got deployed last month."

Mary stopped, nearly slamming a bowl of snack mix on the dining table. "I know that, Ivy. We're just worried about you. You seem anxious."

Ivy rubbed her eyes. Her parents could read her like a book. "It's not Ryan. Yes. I am worried about him, but that's not it. It's _this_ place. It gives me the creeps."

"It's an Army base, Ivy. You've been living on one for years."

"That's not what I mean," Ivy said. She swallowed. "There's just something that bothers me about Gillette. I haven't really been able to sleep since we got here."

"You don't look any worse for it," Mary said, patting Ivy on the shoulder. "Maybe you should talk to a therapist. You know they really helped you come out of your shell before."

"No!" Ivy said protectively. She regretted snapping at her the woman. "It's got to pass eventually."

"Okay," Mary said. "But it might do you some good to try socializing a bit. Go change."

Ivy rolled her eyes and stood, trudging up the stairs. She was not looking forward to the party.

* * *

Donald Lydecker sat at his desk in Manticore's center of operations. His desk was sparse with little on it save for a few documents waiting to be signed. His eyes were surveying the line of head shots adhered to his office wall. Twelve defiant sets of eyes stared back at him. They were all children. They ranged in age from seven to eleven. That had been ten years ago. Now, the ones that had not been captured were still at large somewhere out in the world. No one really knew what they looked like anymore. He wondered what kind of people they had grown into.

What then was the purpose of the photographs on the wall?

Lydecker kept them as a reminder. They were a reminder of one of his failures. A failure he would right if at all possible. He wanted to bring them all "home." He wanted to help each of them fulfill their purpose in life. That was something that they would not find out there on the streets. The colonel glanced at a few of the faces he knew the best; at the ones he had not brought home. He would find them someday. It would just take time.

Lydecker stood and picked up the empty coffee cup sitting on his desk. Maybe caffeine would help clear his head. He picked up the cup and left his office.

To his surprise the rest of the office was bare with the exception of Lieutenant Smith, a red-haired man in his early twenties. Smith looked up at Lydecker as the Colonel passed. "You're still here, Sir?"

Lydecker only nodded. "Does that surprise you?"

"No, Sir. It's just that Major Kinlan and his wife are throwing a party," The Lieutenant explained. "I believe you were invited, Sir."

Lydecker recalled receiving an invitation and nodded. "What was that for?"

"It's for Thanksgiving, Sir," Smith remarked. "That is today."

Lydecker glanced at the calendar, wondering how he could have lost track of the time. "So it is. I'm too busy working to preserve what we have left of America. It'll have to wait."

"No offense, Sir, but Manticore will still be here. Things around here have been really busy lately. Everyone deserves a break."

Lydecker stared at the Lieutenant. Ordinarily he would have snapped or reprimanded the soldier for being less than professional. Now all he did was nod. "You're dismissed, Lieutenant."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The Kinlan house was like all the other family homes on the base. They were a middle-aged married couple with one child. Each of them had been in the service since leaving high school and it was rather apparent by the orderly state of their home. The Kinlans themselves had briefly said hello and then disappeared into a mingling of clinking cocktail glasses and gossip.

Having long before chosen not to partake in drinking Lydecker found himself at a loss in the loud living room. He spotted a back door and removed himself from the riffraff into the cold November night.

The porch light was off, but enough illumination came through the windows to allow him to see his surroundings. He took a seat on the bench that ran along the wall.

"Didn't like the party?" a voice asked from the shadows.

Lydecker cursed inside for not noticing the other person on the porch. He squinted slightly in the dim light to make out the teenage girl leaning against the railing at the edge of the porch.

"You do that often when you look at people?" The girl questioned. "You might want to have your eyes examined." There was a faint spot of orange light in the darkness that faded and the smell of tobacco smoke wafted through the cold air.

"You might want to consider another habit. Those things will kill you," Lydecker said, settling for speaking to the shadows for now.

The girl laughed. "There are a lot of things in this world that can kill you." She took another puff. "Guns, car accidents, disease. You can only run for so long."

"Still," Lydecker mused. "You're a little young to be smoking. Or talking like that."

She flashed a pearly white smile and stepped out of the darkness. Dropping the cigarette on the floor, she stamped it out with the heel of her boot. "My dad would kill me if he found out. I don't do it that often. You're not going to tell on me are you?"

Lydecker studied her for a moment. She was definitely a pretty young woman. Blue eyes, dark hair. "What's your name?"

"You mean they didn't get around to me in the round of introductions my dad usually does whenever we have company. Even if the said person is not there he likes to introduce the guests to a photograph. Must have been what he did when I was gone."

"If he did I didn't catch your name," Lydecker added. "And whatever deviance you've committed, I'll leave that between you and your parents."

The girl smiled again. She stepped closer and held out her hand. "My name's Ivy."

Lydecker shook her hand instinctively. "Donald Lydecker." He suddenly felt something pushing at the back of his mind. "Have we met before?"

Ivy suddenly pulled her hand from his. She stared at him with a look of utter confusion on her face. She shook her head, composure coming back to her face. "I don't think so. I've never been to Wyoming before two weeks ago."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Lydecker admitted. She did look familiar though.

"No," Ivy said, shaking her head. "I've just had this migraine all day. Excuse me." She walked back into the house, slamming the door.

* * *

Ivy sped through the crowd of people drinking cocktails in her family's living room and ran up the stairs. She did not stop until the door of her bedroom slammed shut and she collapsed against it. Her mind was in a daze as she stared around the room. She could not shake the feeling that had hit the moment that man had said his name.

She'd felt her heart skip a beat. _Lydecker_. The name was in her earliest memories. She reached back into her mind and tried to recall it. The only thing that rose in her mind and heart was a sense of dread. Her conscious mind was blocking out the rest for some reason. The man seemed nice enough.

Ivy sighed. She told herself it was probably nothing. It still did not shake the sudden feeling that was filling her body. The adrenaline was pumping through her as she noticed how swiftly her heart was beating.

Ivy went to the mirror on the wall and checked her appearance. She wiped at the tears that were beginning to trail mascara down her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she straightened the dress she had finally thrown on at her mother's behest.

"Keep it together," she told herself. It had to all be in her head. Maybe her mom was right. Maybe she was just worried about Ryan. Maybe that anxiety and grief was manifesting itself as this uneasiness she felt for the her current location.

The bedroom door opened and Mary popped her head in. "Ivy? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ivy nodded, turning from the mirror. "I am."

"Then come on out. There are some people I want you to meet."

"I'll be right there," Ivy said.

Mary smiled and closed the door.

* * *

Ivy made her way down the stairs slowly, pausing to take in the crowd that had invited itself into her family's home. There was a blend of fatigues, suits and blue jeans amongst the crowd. She descended the steps and spotted her mom talking to a couple of women in the living room.

"Ivy!" Mary Kinlan put an arm around the girl's shoulders and urged her into the circle of women. "Alice and Lindsay, this is Ivy." She waved a hand towards the two women.

The taller of the two women, a blond, held out her hand to Ivy. "I'm Lindsay. It's nice to meet you Ivy."

"I'm Alice," the other woman said with a wide smile. She took a sip from her liberally filled wine glass. "Your mother's been telling use that you are quite the virtuoso."

"Well..." Ivy was cut off as Lindsay decided to speak.

"How long have you been playing the cello?" Lindsay questioned.

"Since she was eight," Mary added, keeping an arm around Ivy to prevent the girl's longing escape. "She picked it up in no time."

"That's how kids are. Their brains are like sponges when they're young," Alice admired. "How did you end up touring the country?"

Ivy finally smiled. "I was with a youth orchestra. It wasn't like I'm a rock star or anything."

"Orchestra!" Mary laughed. She patted Ivy's shoulder. "She was playing with a string quartet. They played with various orchestras around the country. Ivy worked hard to get into it."

"Thanks, Mom," Ivy said sarcastically. "I never have to brag for myself."

"You must love playing then," Alice remarked. She tilted her head as she looked at Ivy. "You look familiar, Ivy. Could we have met before?"

Ivy swallowed. Unconsciously, she had been thinking the same thing about a few of the other faces in the room. "I don't think so. But it's not the first time I've been asked that. I guess I just have a familiar face."

Alice's gaze hardened as she continued to stare at Ivy. She shook her head. "No. I just get this feeling that we've met before."

Ivy looked at her mother. "My mom would know."

Mary laughed. She turned to Alice. "I honestly wouldn't if you saw her before ten years ago. Jack and I adopted this little one from an orphanage when she was seven. Her parents were killed in the rioting after the Pulse."

"That was a terrible time," Lindsay remarked. She patted Ivy's shoulder. "At least you were one of the luckier ones."

"Were they in the military?" Alice pressed.

Ivy kept her mouth shut and shook her head. She hoped the woman would get the message that she did not want to talk about it.

* * *

Still seated outside on the porch, Lydecker was observing the party through the window. He made note of the girl Ivy's return to the crowd. He also noted the apparent apprehension with which she seemed to be approaching people now. She seemed more quiet and reserved now versus the somewhat fiery rebel he thought he had just met.

The girl looked very familiar. And that name. The last person he had known with that name was a little girl. An X5.

Lydecker made himself laugh. Since capturing Brin and running into Max at the genetics conference, he could feel his grip closing in on them. If there was one thing he knew it was never to underestimate their ability to blend in. Was he starting to see his "kids" everywhere if he suddenly suspected the first military brat he met?


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ivy watched from an upstairs window as the party guests dispersed into the snowy night, a couple swaggering across the front lawn. After being interrogated by her mother's new friends Ivy had retreated upstairs, feigning another headache. Realistically her head did ache, but it wasn't physical pain. The anxiety she hoped would go away by socializing had doubled and she felt it like a lead weight on her heart. Was it all in her head? Or had she seen these people before?

Across the street she saw a figure standing, staring back at her. The man who had introduced himself as Lydecker.

Ivy yanked the curtains closed. Like the practically sheer fabric would repel the emotions she felt rising. "You are crazy, Ivy!" she said the sentence to herself. "Don't feed your own paranoia."

Running hands through her hair, her fingers settled at the back of her neck. Of course her fingertips could not distinguish any visual marks, but Ivy knew what was there. She couldn't remember precisely what the barcode meant, but it was something to go on. Who in their right mind would tattoo a child? Ivy didn't like it. She always covered it up, wearing scarves and keeping her hair long.

"Ivy!" Mary shouted up the stairs. "There's a phone call for you!"

Ivy sighed and forced herself to relax. She had been waiting for this. Running down the stairs she snatched the phone receiver from her mom's hands. Putting it to her ear she smiled, "Ryan?"

* * *

Rain poured down as Ivy emerged from the darkened tattoo parlor. It had been easy enough to convince the man to remove it for her, but rather expensive at the same time. It was a seedier section of town, but Ivy more than knew how to take care of herself. She tied a scarf around her neck to conceal the now slightly reddened skin of her neck while it healed.

Something had told her that tattoo had everything to do with why she was feeling anxiety. That feeling had raised an undying urge to rid herself of the mark. It was gone now and she actually felt a bit of the stress lift from it.

It was still raining when Ivy got home. She turned down the avenue of houses towards her family's home. It had been only a few weeks since she had come here, but the house itself was beginning to grow on her. Anywhere her family was felt like home even if the rest of the town scared her.

She knew her parents had likely gone to sleep by now so sneaking in would not be a problem. Ivy slipped into the house through the backdoor that she had left unlocked. She had only made it three steps before she found that she was not alone in the living room.

"Hello, Ivy." Donald Lydecker was sitting on a chair across from Jack. It was obvious by the folders on the table that they were discussing something about business.

Ivy forced a smile. "Hi."

Jack leaned back in his seat. "Where were you?" Ivy had only seen that look of disappointment on his face when one of his men stepped out of line.

Ivy brushed a sodden clump of hair from her face and swallowed. "I went to a movie with friends."

"At midnight in the rain?" Jack questioned. "When you know your curfew is eleven?"

Ivy's brow tensed. She let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Jack sighed and stood up. "Ivy, I've got business right now. We'll talk about this tomorrow." He waved a hand. "And for goodness sake put on something dry!"

* * *

Donald Lydecker watched the girl as she pushed past Jack and trudged up the stairs, grumbling something beneath her breath. A door slam followed and there was silence.

Army Major Jack Kinlan sighed and sat down again. "So where were we?"

"You don't have many family pictures," Lydecker commented as he surveyed the bare walls of the Kinlan living room.

Jack laughed. "We don't have much family either," he replied, pouring himself a drink from the glass decanter on the table. "Ivy's a bit camera shy. Would you like something?"

Lydecker shook his head. "I just came over because I needed to explain some things. This isn't entirely the most professional route I could have taken. Basically, by now I'm sure you've likely heard rumors about the Air Force base."

Jack took a drink and shook his head. "I'm not following you, Deck."

"The base outside of town is a classified location. Matters regarding it are on a need to know basis. So if any of your people…"

Jack waved a hand. "I get the point, Deck. I guarantee done of Section D will stumble drunk onto your base during training exercises. You sure you don't want a drink?"

Lydecker nodded. It always did take a bit of strength to say no.

Jack smiled and pulled a lighter from his pocket. He offered a cigarette to Lydecker who refused.

"I'd think you would try to set a better example for you daughter," Lydecker commented as Jack blew out a cloud of smoke.

Jack laughed. He held up the burning tobacco, studying it with a scholarly glare. "Ivy thinks I don't know about her habit. It seems that inevitably children will take after their parents. Even if there's no blood relation."

Lydecker's face hardened. "She's not yours?"

Jack took another puff and coughed. He laughed again. "No. Wish I could say she was. Mary and I can't have our own children. We adopted Ivy after the Pulse. She came from an orphanage up in Seattle. You have kids?"

Taken aback by the question and the new information, the colonel was forced to pause for a second. He took a deep breath. "My wife died over twenty years ago. We never had kids."

Jack's face was sincere with understanding. "That's a shame. You never learn so much about yourself until you've got an eight-year-old in pig tails following you around assessing your every move. They're incredible. Kids have such an innocent view of the world," Jack put out the cigarette and took a sip of alcohol. "I can't imagine life without that cello-toting slacker."

Lydecker realized that Jack had obviously had a decent amount to drink. He was in a rant. "How old is Ivy? Fifteen?"

Jack laughed hard and smoothed back his crew cut. "I wish sometimes. No. She wants to go to Julliard next year. As if we can afford it or there's any government funding left."

"What would you have her do?" Lydecker questioned. Not that this was any of his business, but he was curious about the girl.

"Join the service," Jack admitted. "But she's adamantly against it. She can't stand the sight of a gun." He shook his head. "Maybe she'll get a scholarship. The girl's a genius."

Lydecker nodded in observation. He was tempted to ask about that last detail, but decided against it. There was no X5 hiding on an Army base. Here he was sitting face to face with a hardened military man like himself. Loyal to the bone. Jack ranted for a while longer about the move to Wyoming, his own service history, the crappy whiskey available in Gillette. Lydecker listened patiently, thanked the major, and said good night.

Stepping out into the night air, Lydecker glanced back at the house. The downstairs lights had been shut off. Upstairs he could make out the figure of a girl standing against a window, staring out at the night. He lifted a hand in a small wave.

Ivy waved back and then yanked the curtains closed.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The sun was setting on another day when Lydecker entered his own house. He turned on the lights to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Immediately the eyes were upon him. Her deep brown eyes and shining smile reflected at him from the picture frame on the mantle. A joy filled laugh echoed through the silence in his mind as he remembered her. His wife and only true love.

Lydecker did not know why he had begun to think of her so much as of late. His own belief that emotional attachments limit a person did not apply here at all. She had been his inspiration and his downfall.

The latest reports of escaped X5 activity sat on the coffee table. At the top of them was Max's presence in Seattle. Another record from two days before mentioned a girl getting a barcode removed at a tattoo parlor only a few miles away from Manticore. Maybe it had been a bad decision or maybe it was one of his kids. It would be another thing to investigate.

He sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. Those kids didn't know what was good for them. Maybe he had been foolish to attach himself to them so emotionally.

There had been Max, who Lydecker had created from his wife's inspiration. The eyes, the hair, and a much further exaggeration of her grace than his wife had possessed. The other girl, no she would be a woman by now, that came into his mind was X5-825 or Ivy as her siblings had called her. However, unbeknownst to all but one Manticore scientist (long since killed off), 825 had been the next step in Lydecker's preservation of his wife's memory. She was their child, created from a frozen embryo concocted in lab after a visit to a fertility specialist when Lydecker's wife was still alive. She had always wanted children.

Lydecker had been at the birth of every X5, but when 825 had been born something had been different. 825 was his own offspring and despite how Lydecker frequently despised himself he remembered looking upon the newborn infant with the impression of perfection. The night she had escaped with the others was still clear in his mind.

Lydecker could have prevented it, but the only way would have been to shoot his own daughter.

_Lydecker glanced back at the Hummer and grunted a breath. They were escaping right under his grasp. He stared into the frozen trees for a moment before taking some steps into a copse of pine trees. It was then that she had seemed to fall right into his lap._

_A small, thin figure tumbled out of the trees and stopped only a few feet before him. Recognizing the child instantly as an X5 Lydecker trained his weapon on him or her. He would not fire unless necessary._

_The child looked up at him and Lydecker lowered his gun. Blue eyes met. X5-825 stared at him in fear. Lydecker stepped back and waved a hand. "Go!"_

_The young child only stared at him, half-frightened. There was confusion in her eyes and horror whenever her gaze settled on the gun. "Sir…"_

_Lydecker sighed and nodded. "That's an order, 825! Get out of here!"_

_The girl half nodded and swiftly backed away into the trees._

Back in the present of post-pulse America, Lydecker stared at his wife's picture. "I miss you."

* * *

Ivy was sitting on her bed finishing off the last of her homework when there was a knock on her bedroom door. This was probably the inevitable talk about her sneaking out. Jack had been too busy to lecture her for the past two days.

"Ivy? Can I come in?" Jack said.

Ivy tossed down the textbook and sighed. "Yeah."

The door opened and Jack looked around the room. "Well, I haven't been in here for a while."

Ivy smiled. "I, uh, really couldn't stand the blank walls." She had plastered the walls with photos.

Jack nodded as he sat down at the desk. "Ivy, where were you really the other night?"

Ivy smiled sweetly. Still clad in the camouflage fatigues of his day job, Major Jack Kinlan was intimidating, but Ivy knew he had a soft spot for her. "I was with Jessica and Megan. We went to see a movie," Ivy admitted. "It ran too late and I meant to call, but…"

Jack raised a hand. "Ivy, I trust you, but you're also just a seventeen-year-old girl and there are people out there who would –"

Ivy rolled her eyes. _Here we go again._ "Believe me when I tell you that I can take care of myself."

Her father sighed and smiled. "I know you think you can, but there are people who would target a beautiful girl like you. Your mother read something about that self-defense course being offered at your school. We want you to take it."

Ivy laughed. "Dad, that would be a waste of time. I could drop a two-hundred pound man with my thumb. Remember when Uncle Patrick _tried _to sneak up on me last Christmas."

Jack shared the laugh as he remembered back to that event. "Ivy, as I recall, Patrick was stone drunk that day."

Ivy shrugged. "It didn't make him any lighter."

Jack's face became serious. "What are you going to do if someone bigger than you tries to attack you?"

"Break my cello over their head?" Ivy inquired from creative thought.

Jack stood and paced. He sighed. "Ivy, we just want you to be safe. Will you do this? For us?"

Ivy hesitated and then nodded. "It's gonna be a waste of time though."

Jack headed for the door. "Tell me that when it saves your life."

* * *

Ivy sat cross-legged on the gym floor among the other girls who had been forced into participating. It was late afternoon and she was currently daydreaming about sleeping late the next morning. She was jolted back to reality by the rhythm of footsteps echoing across the wooden floor.

A tall man, probably in his late twenties strolled in. He was obviously military by the strides her took. He stopped a few feet in front of the group of girls. "I'm Sergeant Parker. I'll be teaching the self-defense course over the next week. I'm sure you all think you have better things to do so I'll be brief. The bottom line when it comes to self-defense is to disable your attacker and run. Don't try to be a hero. Just get out of there." He prattled on for several minutes.

Ivy was tuning out when the instructor started shouting, snapping her back to reality.

"You! What's your name?" He had stopped pacing right in front of her.

Ivy pointed at herself and the instructor nodded. "Ivy."

The man beckoned her up.

Ivy stood.

"Now, looking at Ivy here for an example, she's not a big girl. What do you weight 110?"

"Something like that," Ivy shrugged. She hardly wanted her weight made public knowledge.

Parker nodded. "Anyways the point is that size doesn't matter. You can defend yourself against a person twice your size. Watch what I demonstrate here. We're going to see what you know so far. Ivy, I'm going to attack you from the back. You do what your instincts tell you."

Ivy nodded, stood still and waited. She honestly wasn't sure what to expect. Suddenly, she was aware of the man behind her. His breathing was soft, but it vibrated the air and his footsteps echoed. He was coming from the right. In an instant she felt his arms wrap around her, but Ivy was one step ahead. She grabbed his right arm and twisted it to force him to release her. Once he let her go she twisted away and dropped down and kicked one leg out under him. The man fell flat on his back.

Ivy stood up slowly. There were whispers among the other students. They all just stared at her.

"How the hell did you do that?" Sergeant Parker questioned, getting up off the floor. "Ivy?"

Ivy blinked and zoned back into reality. "I don't know."

The man studied her for a moment, then shook his head. "Well, good work. Okay everyone, pair up."

Later on, Ivy was packing her gym shoes in her bag and pulling on her jacket to leave with the rest of the class when the Sergeant approached her.

"You're Major Kinlan's daughter right?" Parker questioned. "You don't look like him…or Mary for that matter."

Ivy shrugged. "I'm adopted. Do you work with him?"

The man shook his head. "No. I work under Colonel Lydecker. You've got some natural talent, Ivy. And you say you've never done anything like this before?"

She shrugged. "Not that I remember."

The man smiled. "Well, tell your dad, you don't really need a class to defend yourself. But you might want to work on your technique. If I'd known you could fight, I would've been expecting that and dodged it. You sure you didn't pick that up from Jack?"

"Why?" Ivy questioned.

Parker shrugged. "Some of the stuff you were doing looked like standard hand-to-hand training the army teaches."

Ivy shrugged again. "It was kind of natural."

* * *

Jack was working late so it was only Ivy and her mother at the dinner table that night.

"So how did the self-defense class go?" Mary questioned as she passed a bowl to Ivy.

Ivy shrugged as she picked at her food. "I knocked the teacher on his back."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "You're joking right?"

"No. He must have been testing me or something," Ivy suggested. "Anyways I've been looking at schools and I've already got my application filled out. I just need the processing fee."

Mary sighed. "Sweetie, are we going to get stuck in this conversation again."

"Mom, I can pay for it," Ivy pleaded. "I'll give music lessons."

Mary shook her head. "People these days are saving their money for things worthwhile, like food."

Ivy stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork and stuffed it in her mouth. "I am not enlisting. I know you and Dad were practically born into the Army, but it is not what I was born to do."

"I'm not telling you that you have to," Mary defended. "Ivy, there are so many things you could do. Even if you go to school, there's no guarantee you won't end up flipping burgers somewhere. In some places you would be lucky even to find that kind of job."

Ivy put down her fork and pushed her chair out from the table. "You don't have control over me. You can't tell me what to do."

"What?" Mary questioned. "Ivy, I love you. I would never-"

"Then why can't I?" Ivy questioned. "Mom, do you know what my IQ is?"

"You're a smart girl, Ivy, but the world doesn't care about that," Mary pressed the issue. "The world today is like a lottery and only a few people have winning tickets. The rest are out in the cold. Your father and I love you too much to see you get hurt."

"Yeah," Ivy said, standing up and shoving the chair back against the table. "That's what you always say." She stomped up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.

Ivy had to restrain herself from taking her frustration out on the cello that lay in the middle of her bedroom floor. As easy as she knew it would be to demolish, buying another one would be difficult. Especially with the state of the American economy.

In a sudden rage she thrust her fist out at the first object it would contact, which happened to be the wall. There was a thud as her fist went clear through the drywall. Ivy was not hurt at all by the strike. She was used to the mild pain, but did not know why. She removed her fist from the wall and studied the gaping hole that fortunately had not gone through to the hallway. Her gaze shifted to her knuckles that were dusted with white from the chipped paint. She shook out her fist and flexed her fingers.

"I never knew you to have a temper," a voice intruded from the other side of the room.

Ivy jumped, turning towards the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" Ivy questioned. She felt her fists tighten as she regarded the man who had just revealed himself. "How the hell did you get in here?"

The man smirked slightly. He was about twenty with a medium muscular build and taller than her. Straight blond hair fell over his forehead. His chiseled features seemed to soften as he took a step towards her. "But then you were a bit forgetful."

Ivy stepped back towards the door and stared at him. "I'll ask again: who are you?"

"It's me Zack. You couldn't have forgotten me could you?" The blonde haired man smiled slightly. "I saw you in Los Angeles. I didn't think it was you at first, because you're in the lion's den, Ivy."

Ivy shook her head and reached for the doorknob behind her back. "What the hell are you talking about? Am I supposed to know you?"

Zack raised a hand. "Ivy, don't open that door."

"What do you want?" Ivy questioned as her grip tightened on the doorknob.

Zack raised his hands in the air. "I'm here to help you. I saw you in LA like I said, tracked you back here. It's a good thing I did. Ivy, honestly, how stupid are you? The idea is to stay under the radar and look at you. You're right under their nose!"

"Under whose nose?" Ivy swallowed a scream rising in her throat.

"Exactly why I came here," the man mused. "They've already got Brin and I'm not going to let them get you. We have to get out of here now." In two strides he had a locking grip on her left arm. "Let's go!"

"Let go of me!" Ivy screamed and pulled against his grasp, but the man was even stronger than she was.

"I'm giving you an order, Ivy!" he shouted. Fury consumed his gaze.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but let me go!" Ivy pulled with all her strength, but was not able to dislodge his hold. "Somebody, help!"

Zack released her and pushed her to the floor. "What the hell has gotten into you, Ivy? You're even more stubborn that Max!"

"Ivy!" Voices erupted from downstairs and there was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairwell.

The man shook his head. "Ivy, don't you remember me?"

Ivy met his gaze for a moment. She was utterly confused. "You said your name is Zack?"

Realization hit his eyes. He shook his head. "You don't remember me. You don't remember any of it."

There was a pounding on the door.

Zack looked at her. "I will come back for you. I won't let them have you." With that he dove out the window.

In that last instant Ivy saw the tattoo on his neck. A barcode.

* * *

Lydecker stepped through the front door of the Kinlan house, stepping aside from the other officers that were on their way out. Everyone else had already been through, heard the story, seen the broken window. He had been tied up at Manticore when the word came through that an X5 had snuck onto the base.

He found Ivy in the kitchen. She had her hands on the table and was staring blankly at the wall. Mary was in the corner drinking a cup of something that barely passed as coffee. She nodded at Lydecker and stepped out of the kitchen.

Lydecker sat down at the table with Ivy. "Ivy, I need you to tell me what happened."

Ivy locked her eyes on him. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start from the top. What did he tell you?"

Ivy sighed and started talking. When she was finished, she shook her head. "He must've thought I was someone else.

Lydecker inhaled a sharp breath. He studied the girl. She fit the age bracket, hair color, eye color. Zack wouldn't take the risk of breaking onto an Army base unless he believed this was her. Lydecker stood up and started to pace the room. "Have you ever seen him before? Anywhere?"

Ivy shook her head. "No." She put her head down and shut her eyes.

Lydecker gave her a pat on the back, but then used the opportunity to glance at her neck where the dark hair had spilled aside. He felt his heart drop when he saw the skin was completely unmarred. No barcode. He moved away.

"Ivy, look, the man who broke in is an extremely dangerous felon. If he _ever_ shows up again, you call me. This is very important." Lydecker explained. "Understand."

Ivy nodded. "Yeah." She looked up with red eyes. "Who is he?"

Lydecker sighed. "He was under my command a few years back. Went AWOL and… he's a dangerous man. You're safer not knowing anything else. Get some rest." He walked towards Jack who was now standing in the doorway "Give me a call if she remembers anything else."

"Thanks, Donald," Jack said goodnight and went to Ivy. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"

Ivy was drawing invisible circles with her fingers on the table top. She nodded slowly and looked up at him. "I'm fine. It was just…scary." She stared past her father at Lydecker walking out the front door.


End file.
